Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli welcomes real estate attorney Rafael A. Santos-Hernández as shareholder in the firm’s New York office. Santos-Hernández joins the firm’s national Real Estate Finance Practice, having a deep background in representing borrowers and lenders in numerous forms of real estate finance transactions. Santos-Hernández joins the firm from Reed Smith in New York.
Santos-Hernández focuses his practice on representing clients in the origination of commercial mortgage and mezzanine loans secured by real estate assets across the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. His experience includes representing senior lenders and mezzanine lenders in the purchase and sale of mortgage loans and mezzanine loans and in the negotiation of intercreditor agreements and co-lender agreements.
“Rafael’s unique background and skillset bring immediate value to our practice,” said Polsinelli Financial Services Division Practice Chair John T. Duncan III. “As our national real estate finance work continues to grow, Rafael is ideally suited to serve as a catalyst in the practice’s continued expansion.”
He represents clients in loans intended for securitization and syndication, as well as in the origination of construction loans. A few key transactions that Santos-Hernández has been involved in include representing an international bank in connection with the origination of a $150 million construction loan secured by a hotel in San Francisco, representing a group of lenders in the origination of a $310 million construction loan secured by a life sciences project in Philadelphia, and representing a borrower in the origination of a mortgage loan secured by an office building in Mexico City.
“I’m honored to combine my legal experience and relationships in the real estate industry with Polsinelli’s respected attorneys,” said Santos-Hernández. “I look forward to collaborating with the team and serving Polsinelli’s clients across its national footprint.”
Santos-Hernández earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University before obtaining a J.D. from Cornell Law School. He is also fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Santos-Hernández joins Polsinelli’s strong Real Estate Finance Practice which recently earned a Tier 1 ranking in Real Estate Law on the 2021 Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News & World Report. Polsinelli’s New York office houses attorneys working in financial services, real estate finance, technology, outsourcing, privacy and data security, health care, bankruptcy and intellectual property.
